Dialog Styles - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Dialog Styles

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The Five Primary Styles of Interaction Menu selection Form fill-in Command language Natural language Direct manipulation Menu Selection Employs metaphor of restaurant ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Dialog Styles


1
Dialog Styles
2
The Five Primary Styles of Interaction
  • Menu selection
  • Form fill-in
  • Command language
  • Natural language
  • Direct manipulation

3
Menu Selection
  • Employs metaphor of restaurant menu
  • Users read list of items select appropriately
    according to task apply syntax to indicate
    selection confirm choice initiate action
    observe effect
  • Designers may need to use careful task analysis
    to ensure all functions supported conveniently,
    and that terminology is appropriate and
    consistent in use

4
Advantages and Disadvantages of Menu Selection
  • Advantages
  • shortens learning curve
  • reduces keystrokes
  • structures decision-making
  • permits use of dialogue-management tools
  • allows easy support of error-handling
  • Disadvantages
  • imposes danger of deep-nested menu hierarchies
  • may slow frequent users
  • consumes screen real estate
  • requires rapid display rate

5
Form Fill-in
  • Paper forms can be used as metaphor (or indeed,
    template)
  • Users see a display of related fields move a
    cursor among the fields, and enter data as
    appropriate
  • Designers need to ensure that users understand
    field labels, appropriate values and the
    data-entry method, and are capable of responding
    to error messages - some user training may be
    necessary

6
Advantages and Disadvantages of Form Fill-in
  • Advantages
  • simplifies data entry
  • requires modest training
  • makes assistance convenient
  • permits use of form-management tools
  • Disadvantages
  • consumes screen real estate

7
Command Language
  • Appropriate metaphor may be military parade
    ground!
  • Users learn syntax can express complex
    possibilities rapidly without reading distracting
    prompts
  • Designers must allow for high error-rates
    diversity of possibilities and complexity of
    mapping from task to computer syntax is hard
    user training is necessary

8
Advantages and Disadvantages of Command Language
  • Advantages
  • flexible
  • appeals to power users
  • supports user-initiative
  • convenient for creating user-defined macros
  • Disadvantages
  • poor error handling
  • requires substantial training and memorisation

9
Natural Language
  • Utilises conversational metaphor
  • Users enter natural language sentences computer
    often seeks clarification before beginning task
  • Designers need to understand task domain to
    narrow range of interpretations to manageable
    level design is extremely difficult.

10
Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Language
  • Advantages
  • relieves burden of learning syntax
  • no training!
  • Disadvantages
  • requires clarification dialogue
  • may require more keystrokes
  • may not show context
  • is unpredictable

11
Direct Manipulation
  • Metaphor is of a virtual world representing the
    real world
  • Users point at visual representations of objects
    and actions, carry out tasks rapidly and see
    immediate results keyboard control replaced by
    cursor-motion control devices
  • Designers need to choose appropriate icons and
    graphics to successfully immerse the user -
    minimal user training indicated

12
Advantages and Disadvantages of Direct
Manipulation
  • Advantages
  • presents task concepts visually
  • easy to learn
  • easy to retain
  • permits error avoidance
  • encourages exploration
  • permits high subjective satisfaction
  • Disadvantages
  • may be hard to code
  • may require graphics displays and pointing devices

13
Shneidermans Eight Golden Rules of Dialogue
Design
  • 1. Strive for consistency
  • 2. Enable frequent users to use shortcuts
  • 3. Offer informative feedback
  • 4. Design dialogues to yield closure
  • 5. Offer simple error handling
  • 6. Permit easy reversal of actions
  • 7. Support internal locus of control
  • 8. Reduce short-term memory load
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